


there’s a shimmer in your eyes (like the feeling of a thousand butterflies)

by staysharp



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, abba is involved, enough said, hope you like it, this is basic projection ladies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-26 02:43:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staysharp/pseuds/staysharp
Summary: prompt 66. “I don’t have much time, but I wanted to say I love you.”---Lance spins around, hair still a little wild. He softens a little in his flurry to pack any and everything last minute for a three day business trip just up the coast. “What? What is it?”It’s then that Keith feels it fully- it’s not a punch to the gut, like he’d always thought. No, it’s slow, steady, like a cat turning in a circle before resting, calm and trusting. He feels his skin warm a little, and he wants to say it.





	there’s a shimmer in your eyes (like the feeling of a thousand butterflies)

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this as a prompt and got a little carried away at 12-2 in the morning. but, listening to carly rae jespen does that to a girl. hope you all like it! (update: the person who requested this SURPRISED me and drew this lovely piece of art? for me? please look !!! 
> 
> https://duellance.tumblr.com/post/187015704956/keith-knows-theyre-cutting-it-close-but-he-cant

Keith stands in the doorframe in an old t-shirt and boxers, leans as he brushes his teeth. He smiles secretly, and he feels something in the tips of his toes. _It_ ’s a light, fluttery feeling, but grounding all the same.

“I know you’re behind me, judging me.” Lance folds his clothes at the speed of light, placing them a little haphazardly in his open suitcase. Early morning dawn spills into the room, barely highlighting his figure as he looks around to make sure he hasn’t forgotten anything.

“Am not.”

“Oh, so taking in the view?” Lance glances back, raising an eyebrow.

Keith rolls his eyes, but can’t stop smiling. “Not gonna answer that. And besides, if I was judging you, can you blame me?” He stands up right to go back into the bathroom. “You and your early trains.” He turns, then spits into the sink.

“Hey, it’s about rising early and getting shit done!” Lance calls from the other room.

Keith splashes water, again, on his face for good measure. He towels himself dry, then steps back into his room. “That’s just what capitalism wants you to think.”

“Ha ha.” Lance spins around, hair still a little wild. He softens a little in his flurry to pack any and everything last minute for a three day business trip just up the coast. “What? What is it?”

It’s then that Keith feels _it_ fully- _it_ ’s not a punch to the gut, like he’d always thought. No, _it_ ’s slow, steady, like a cat turning in a circle before resting, calm and trusting. He feels his skin warm a little, and he wants to say _it_. “Nothing,” he manages, then he smiles liltingly. “Think you have everything?”

“You never know when extra outfits are needed, babe.” Lance turns, looks at the high pile of clothes in his suitcase. “Now come here and sit on the suitcase.”

Keith feels _it_ still as he laughs a little, as he makes his way over and sits on the goddamn suitcase. The cool blue of the plastic feels good against his thighs, despite the fact there’s that early morning bay area chill that waits just outside. He watches, amused, as Lance struggles, then manages to get the zippers to meet.

“Success.” Lance says, eyes lighting up. “That’s-”

Keith knows they’re cutting it close but he can’t stop from reaching up with both hands and caressing the sides of Lance’s face. Wordlessly, he leans forward and presses a soft kiss on Lance’s lips. As he pulls away, he can only smile. _It_ ’s right there, right on the tip of his tongue-

“As much as I would love to stay and do this, believe me, I do- we have like a half hour drive and the train leaves real soon.” Lance gently removes Keith’s hands from his face, and then kisses both. 

“You and your early trains,” Keith repeats, and he knows _it_ can wait, can be said at a better time. “C’mon, let’s get dressed.” He thinks about taking his sweet time as he pulls on his pants, about making Lance miss his train, but he knows better.

The drive over is saturated with some early morning ABBA, and Keith is glad he’s not driving- _one_ , he doesn’t drive fast like Lance and _two_ , he would’ve been too distracted to get them there safely. He switches between watching the sky as it grows lighter and watching as Lance seamlessly multitasks, merging lanes and singing the right words at the right time.

As they arrive at the station, Lance finally looks at the clock. “Ten minutes- shit!” He leaps out of the car and has the suitcase out before Keith is at the back of the car. “C’mon.”

Keith laughs a little as he follows Lance, a little breathless as the signs on the boarding platform call for last-minute boarding. He stops, watches as Lance fixes his hair. “You look fine.”

Lance looks over, grins. “That’s only because you’re biased.”

Keith let’s _it_ carry him, again- _closer_. “And how could I not be?” He draws near, grabs onto the front of Lance’s jacket. “I-”

A voice comes on overhead, says the doors are closing _soon_ , _so very soon_ -

“Keith.”

“Yes?” Keith looks up at Lance, notices how he’s flushed-

“I...look- **I don’t have much time, but I wanted to say I love you**.” Lance takes Keith’s hand, laughs a little. “Couldn’t leave without finally saying it.” He presses a quick kiss to Keith’s cheek and steps back. “See you- three days. Don’t forget.”

Keith feels _it_ on the tip of his tongue and _it_ spreads through his whole body as he registers just what is happening. He sees Lance step up into the train car and thinking and not thinking all at once, he’s in a _rush_ , he’s _flying_ -

He’s on an unexpected train, the doors closing just behind him. 

“Keith?” 

He leaps, and he’s caught- like always. Wrapping his arms and legs around Lance, he finds he can’t let go. Holding onto Lance’s neck, Keith draws back, and feels _it_ , light and airy and- _alive_. “What makes you think that was a good time to say that?”

Lance’s eyes widen. “Oh, shit, I-”

“How dare you, Lance McClain,” Keith says, a smile growing on his face like wildfire, “say that and _not_ know I’m crazy enough about you to run after you?” He laughs gently, a secret between the two of them. “How dare you.” It’s said with enough inflection that it sounds like _it_.

Lance blinks once, a softer grin growing on his face. “That’s a very you way of-”

“I love you.” Keith feels _it_ all over again, like the tide being pulled in so faithfully back to shore. He unhooks his legs, stands on the ground as he keeps his arms around Lance’s neck, fingertips playing with the ends of Lance’s hair. “You deserve to hear it, in all its-”

“Excuse me, but you two need to find some seats in this car so I can take your tickets.”

Keith removes himself from Lance entirely, red as red can be. “Car, car-” He remembers. He whirls to look at Lance. “Your car-”

“Oh shit, yeah.” Lance pauses, then cups his hand to his mouth to stifle some laughter. He turns to the attendant. “Yeah, we’ll find some seats now. Thank you.”

The attendant nods as she passes, and Lance parks his suitcase in the luggage area. He turns back around, reaches out and threads his fingers though Keith’s. “C’mon.” He tugs ever so gently, and they find some seats by a window. 

Keith lets his head hit the headrest. “Oh my god, the car- I wasn’t-”

“You were clearly thinking.” Lance hums, rests his head on Keith’s shoulder. “Clearly.” He smiles, then sits up right. “Besides, they let people park there for 24 hours- we’ll just pick it up from the tower’s when we get back.”

Before Keith can say anything else, the attendant comes back. 

Lance opens his email, shows her the ticket code on his phone. “Here you are.”

“Thank you.” She scans it, then glances at Keith. “And you, sir?”

Keith snaps out of the inherent guilt stewing, of getting the car towed. “Oh, oh my-”

“I’m going to purchase one for him right now.”

“Lance-”

“What do you say, Mr. height of romance?” Lance’s eyes denote something undeniable, something not-so-secret. “Won’t you run away with me?”

Keith wonders why he didn’t notice it before, this shimmer. He wants so badly to do something, but becomes painfully aware of everything he’s done already. He looks at the attendant. “He’s going to buy the ticket.” 

The attendant nods and once that’s over and she’s gone, Keith throws his hands over his face. “Oh my god.”

“You’re incredible, you know that?”

“I wasn’t”- _thinking_ , is what his brain supplies, again. He pauses, still feeling warm and as he looks over at Lance, he decides what the feeling feels like, truly. “Thank you, for the ticket.” He takes a breath- it spills into an inevitable smile. “Thank you.”

Lance looks over, smiling, early morning light shining on him once again. “Don’t you dare mention it.” He yawns a little, then rests his head on Keith’s shoulder. “I’m gonna rest my eyes. For a bit.”

Keith hums, speaks so softly in response that both of them are smiling as they settle in, the train taking them along- a different kind of rush, but one all the same.

It feels like a butterfly migration, one a longtime coming.

 _Yeah_ , Keith thinks, _that’s it_.

 _That’s it_.

{extra scene}

“I can’t wait to hear you admit my overpacking’s _always_ been a good idea,” Lance says, a few minutes after waking back up. He has a grin on his face, his stupidly handsome face.

Keith can tell as he stares out the window, remembers just how unprepared he is. “I washed these clothes before we left.” He looks over and gives a confident smile. “I’m good.”

“You say that now…” Lance looks out in front of him. “Hope your clothes don’t go missing, or anything.” He looks over, an even look on his face. “You know, as a genuine hope.”

“You’d better hope real hard.” Keith looks out in front of him. “Otherwise, some other things might go missing.” He looks over, grins. “ _Just saying_.”

“Nothing of real importance could go missing. I mean, someone’s already stolen my heart.” Lance shrugs, smile partially hidden by the hood of jacket, blue eyes shimmering, _shimmering_ \- “Happen to know the guy who did it?”

“Yeah.” Keith hopes it is visible in his eyes, _that_ shimmer. “And he says he won’t give it back if you take his clothes.” 

“Well, tell him I don’t want it back.”

Keith hums, laughs a little. “Noted.”

“Good.” Lance threads his fingers through Keith’s, and starts to hum the familiar tune of Andante, Andante. 

But Keith’ll never say he recognizes the song- can’t give Lance the satisfaction. He bites his lower lip, thinks of the lyrics, words that should be a mess in his head. But they’re flowing and floating and- clear. He _knows_ \- and the pace feels right.

And then Lance is singing softly, and Keith thinks again, clearly: _right words at the right time_. He melts, smiles, and can’t tear his eyes away- like always, he’s finding. _Right_ , _right_ -

“Right,” he murmurs so quietly, the feeling spilling out into the air, as though it’s spreading its wings- he feels _it_ , a thousand times over as it finally, finally takes flight.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is up on my tumblr @ bluethisisforyou
> 
> let me know what you think!


End file.
